Someone Like Her by Janice Kay Johnson Page A

self-conscious about being too close to him. Adrian was glad, until he remembered how obvious her dislike had been earlier. Maybe he repulsed her.
    When he offered belatedly to help, she handed him a bowl of salsa and a basket of chips, warm from the oven, then carried the casserole dish with the burritos to the table.
    Once they’d sat, Lucy continued as if there’d been no interruption. “I came home from college thinking I’d work here for the summer, put away a little money for first and last month’s rent when I moved to Seattle or Portland. Somewhere more exciting. I started cooking at the café, and then I had the chance to buy it, and…” She spread her hands.
    They dished up, and he wasn’t surprised to find her burritos were delicious. She admitted to making the salsa herself.
    “What about you? I know your father was an attorney.”
    “Yeah, I think it was a given that I’d go in to law, too.”
    “Do you like it?”
    Head cocked slightly, she asked as if she really wanted to know. Instead of the brusque, “Why else would I do it?” he might have returned to someone else, he found himself hesitating. Did he?
    Adrian couldn’t quite imagine doing anything else. It wasn’t as if he’d been fixated on some other career, beyond the usual fancies any kid had. He remembered wanting to be an airline pilot at one point, a veterinarian at another. That dream withered, given that his father had never let him have a pet. Even earlier, he’d been determined to grow up to be a ferryboat captain. He supposed that had come from living in Edmonds, where they saw the ferry come and go all day long. One summer, he remembered begging to walk down to the beach beside the ferry dock almost every day.
    “Mostly,” he finally said, dishing up a second burrito and adding salsa and sour cream. “Although in law school—” He stopped.
    “What?”
    After a moment, he shrugged. “I thought I’d go into criminal law. Most law students go through a phase of imagining themselves saving the world, or at least some lives. I ended up wooed into corporate law.”
    “By money.”
    He studied her suspiciously, trying to decide whether she was disgusted or simply neutral.
    “That’s where the money is.”
    Lucy only nodded, applying herself to her plate.
    “Do you dream of doing something else?”
    She pursed her lips, as if giving serious thought to the question. “I love to cook. I’ve always imagined I’d end up an executive chef at a chic restaurant in Seattle or some other city. Someplace people actually appreciate variety and unique flavor combinations. Where they don’t grumble because you don’t have that potato soup on the menu every day.”
    Adrian grinned. “Didn’t you tell me it was one of your best?”
    “Yes, but that’s not the point.” She sounded indignant. “If you want to eat the same thing every day, you might as well stay home. If you’re going to eat out, shouldn’t you want to try something new?”
    “Not necessarily. I have favorites at some restaurants. Don’t you?”
    “No, but I’m an adventurer.” She went very still, a couple of creases appearing in her forehead. In a much smaller voice, Lucy said, “About food. I guess not in any other way.”
    She sounded sad, as though she were disappointed in herself for not living more recklessly.
    Adrian sought for a way to comfort her, an unusual impulse for him, and finally settled on distraction.
    “Why my mother?” he asked.
    Her gaze flew to his. “What do you mean?”
    “You obviously felt sorry for her. You’re kind, so why not offer her a meal now and then? But you did more than that. Something about her must have drawn you.”
    She hesitated, and he wondered if she was reconsidering some glib answer, as he’d done earlier.
    “A lot of things,” Lucy said finally. “I loved it when she talked about books, and gardens, and when she toldstories. I’d swear she’d known Bonnie Prince Charlie. Although I have to say, she